Chapter 10 A Small Action

• Serena P. O. V
• “Excuse me.” I held the elevator door that was about to close. I smiled as soon as I saw who was in the elevator.
• In contrast to me, Leopold had a sour face.
• “Morning, sir.” I greeted him cheerfully, to which he responded with a brief buzz. “On a sunny morning, why the cloudy face, sir?” I asked jokingly.
• Leopold silenced me with a piercing gaze, ready to kill, but made me chuckle.
• Despite his attempts to be cold and annoying, it only made me more eager to tease him.
• “By the way, I remember. I left my hairpin at Monaco. I wonder if I still have it.” I asked him again, teasing him even more.
• “I threw it away,” he replied indifferently, which made me laugh.
• “Don't be fierce, sir. You'll lose your good looks,” I retorted.
• Leopold cast another cold, piercing gaze. If I hadn't met him before working in this office, I might have run to the corner in fear when I received such a stony stare. However, I had already encountered the other side of Leopold, so his haughty demeanor was actually amusing.
• “I really didn't expect that we would meet again. Seriously, I don't stalk anything about you. The headhunter contacted me through LinkedIn. And I had no idea that Pequira was your company,” I explained honestly.
• Even though I was acting like this by teasing him, I also had to show my reputation. I didn't want him to think I was finding out about him. This was not Serena's style. Flirting with him was part of my plan to have fun, nothing more.
• “But I wouldn't mind a repeat of the beautiful thing in Monaco,” I said, while chuckling lightly at his lazy face.
• The elevator doors opened. Instead of exiting the elevator, Leopold approached me. He stood before me like a giant wall. His tall body was so towering, and the look in his blue eyes was so intimidating, it pushed me against the elevator wall.
• “Shut the fuck up, Serena. I don't want any talk about Monaco or things leading up to it. It all means nothing to me. No matter how hard you tease me, a woman like you won't sway me.” He growled low and bullied me through his aura of dominance.
• Instead, I cast a sensual gaze. Seriously, I'm not swayed by him. “I can say whatever I want. There's no written rule against me talking about Monaco.”
• His thick eyebrows together made him look so hot. “This is an office, not a pub. Just be self-aware of where you stand. Talk about important things about work. If you're still acting like this, get out!” He spoke in a stern tone and stabbed me right in the heart.
• Uh… why does it hurt, huh?
• We were so close that I didn't dare to resist his words. His serious face slowly changed. I began to know that his threat was nothing more than a mild bluff. Because his facial expression and gaze gave it more meaning. The lightning in his eyes leads me to believe that Leopold is remembering the passionate night he spent with me in Monaco.
• The California version of Leopold is very different from the Monaco version of Leopold. In Monaco, he looked miserable and fragile. I'm sure the sex that night was his weapon to forget all his troubles.
• Meanwhile, the Leopold I found in California always had an unfriendly face. It was as if everyone irritated him, and he didn't hesitate to pick a fight with anyone. To me, it was just a facade that he deliberately put up to hide his heart.
• Leopold had mentioned his divorce. Moreover, the affair he had led to the divorce. But, I'm sure it wasn't that simple. While in Monaco, Leopold didn't put up this facade. But in California, there was a high fortress that prevented anyone from looking inside him.
• I became more and more eager to tear down that rampart.
• “Mr. Leopold.” I deliberately called him formally and punctuated it with a slightly spoiled voice.
• He turned his head at a glance. “What?”
• My lips pursed. “I just wanted to ask; this morning's meeting went ahead, right?”
• Leopold snorted in annoyance and then nodded, making it hard for me to hold back my laughter at his behavior.
• ***
• “So your task this time is to establish a new system for employee management,” he said, without looking at me. He was busy staring at his laptop with one hand resting on his chin.
• I nodded as I listened to his explanation. During the interview, Mr. Raymond explained that Pequira's employee management style is flexible. On average, those who work in the office are in the finance, human resources, and administrator divisions.
• Meanwhile, other divisions like design, engineering, and marketing are more inclined to work from home. Not all employees have the option to work from home or anywhere, but they are still required to work in the office. There are some moments when they come to the office for important meetings and work that must real team deliberation.
• During this time, I used to work for a large corporation in the financial sector. I didn't like working there, but I couldn't refuse because my father “put me” there. There were many people like me, which made the work atmosphere less pleasant. I did have a little trouble adapting to Pequira because of its free style of management. But I'm much happier working at Pequira.
• “What have you been complaining about, but there's no chance of changing it?” he asked, looking at me straight on.
• I took a deep breath slowly and swallowed. “Transparency, a relationship between employee and boss without barriers, and work comfort. There are three basic things that we need in the working world, but are sometimes very far from reality,” I replied firmly.
• “Sounds good. You can set up an employee management system from there.” Leopold clasped his hands on the table. “As a startup, one of our primary concerns is: how far can this company survive? As management, of course, we have to work hard to maintain this company. But that doesn't mean we can rest easy. The trick is to create a comfortable and transparent work system that creates mutual trust among every employee. Regardless of our status, we are all in the same position. The goal is the same.”
• For a few moments, I could only remain silent at Leopold's statement. I discovered another side of him. He's a good leader. I have a good feeling this company will thrive in his hands.
• I hurriedly dismissed that thought. Likewise, I took notes on Leopold's explanation as I began to think of ways to accept this challenge.
• “You can share your idea with me. Gen Z, like you, is broad-minded, modern, and open, so you know what employees need.” Leopold closed his laptop. “Questions, Serena?”
• I shook my head lightly and smiled. “No issue. I'll get back to you with my proposal. Maybe the day after tomorrow or next week.”
• Leopold smiled slightly. “There's no need to rush. Make a neat and careful plan. Like I said, you can share anything about working with me. I'm always open to new ideas.”
• Leopold rose to his feet and preceded me out of the meeting room. There wasn't the slightest pleasantry with me. He didn't even look at me. I was even more challenged to break down his shield.
• I followed Leopold out of the meeting room. It was already lunchtime. The meeting with Leopold turned out to take longer, and without realizing it, the worms in my stomach were already struggling to eat.
• I ran a little toward the end of the room, preparing to prevent the door from closing. But Leopold held the door for me.
• “Thanks.” I smiled, and he replied with a brief murmur.
• A small action, but why is my face feeling hot like this?
• Leopold would definitely hold the door for whoever was behind him. Nothing special.
• It's just me who gets easily flushed by small actions that I find romantic.